CupCakeGenius

I love seeing new products that make baking easier for me. My time always seems to be limited, so I was happy to come across this product -- Debbie Meyer CupCakeGenius 2-piece set.

Ever seen a cupcake with filling in the middle? Well, there are two ways you can make the hole for the filling. Either cut out a hole after the cupcakes are already baked or use a contraption like this. The silicone spacers form the holes as the cupcakes bake.

This product is available from coolproducts.com for $19.90.

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Sweet & Saucy Shop

I finally made it! I've been trying to get over to Sweet & Saucy Shop since it opened a few weeks ago. I've been drooling over, I mean following, Melody's blog (My Sweet and Saucy) for several months. Sometimes you can just tell when something will taste good, just by the way it looks. That's exactly how I felt about Sweet & Saucy's desserts.


So after a morning of running at the beach, I headed down to Sweet & Saucy Shop in Long Beach.


Everything looked so delicious! I don't know how I was able to narrow down my choices. Luckily, there were mini cupcakes of each flavor. Here's what I got:

mini red velvet cake dipped in chocolate
mini candy bar cupcake
mini red velvet cupcake
mini chocolate espresso cupcake


Let's start with the red velvet cake dipped in chocolate. Cake pops are the new, popular dessert. (I even made the cupcake version of the pops last year.) It's a brilliant idea for eating a small serving of cake in a new, fun way. These cake pops were red velvet and sooo good! The cake was moist and the chocolate was perfect. So far, so good.


Next was the mini candy bar cupcake. Description: vanilla buttermilk cake, chocolate ganache filling, peanut butter cream cheese frosting, and salted caramel. This was my first experience with salted caramel. I've been dying to try a dessert with a salty flavor to go with it. Now, I don't know why I waited so long!


And I can't forget to mention the chocolate ganache filling. I'm a firm believer that all cupcakes should have a filling. This filling was even more special because it was different than the frosting on top. The chocolate ganache was perfect! The combination of flavors (chocolate ganache, peanut butter, salted caramel) in this cupcake earned it the spot of my favorite cupcake.


Next was the mini red velvet cupcake. This cupcake was exactly was I expected: red velvet cake and cream cheese frosting. And of course, it was delicious! Nothing more needs to be said.


Last was the mini chocolate espresso cupcake. Description: chocolate cake, chocolate ganache filling, espresso, kahula cream cheese frosting, topped with chocolate crunchy pearls. I picked this cupcake to try because I love the kahula cream cheese pie from Marie Callender's. I was secretly hoping that this cupcake would be similar to the pie that I love so much. Even though the cupcake tasted different than the pie, I really, really enjoyed this cupcake. Of course I loved the ganache filling and the kahula cream cheese frosting was so good! Can this one be my favorite too?

Summary: Sweet & Saucy Shop can be described with only one word: WOW! I knew it was going to be good and I love being right!

Sweet & Saucy Shop doesn't just serve cupcakes and cake pops. You can also find mini desserts, cookies, and of course cakes. You can stop by for a quick, yummy treat or you can order any or all of these items for special events. The regular-sized cupcakes are $3.00 each ($3.25 with filling) and the mini cupcakes range from $1.50-$2.00.

Sweet & Saucy Shop
6400 Stearns Street
Long Beach, CA 90815

Today's Lesson: Self-rising Flour

It must have been the cupcakes! After getting out first win of the season (a forfeit by the other team), I promised my softball team cupcakes to celebrate. The sight of cupcakes must have motivated my team because we got our first REAL win of the season last week. We are on a roll, two wins in a row!

Let me tell you about the cupcakes I made. I found a recipe for peanut butter and banana cupcakes. The recipe asked for 2 cups self-rising flour. I have to admit that I had never heard of self-rising flour before. I assumed that all flour was self-rising. I used my normal all-purpose flour.

Well, the cupcakes turned out very dense and they didn't rise much. I frosted them with milk chocolate frosting. Even though I thought they tasted great I worried that no one would like my cupcakes because of how heavy they were. I was wrong (thank goodness). Everyone loved the cupcakes so much that I've been requested to bring treats again to our last softball game.

But there is a lesson to be learned here: how to make self-rising flour. For each cup of all-purpose flour, add 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Cupcakes at Sea

Three years ago my family discovered cruising. We started with Alaska, then migrated to the Caribbean the next year. We love cruises because everything is provided for you. You don't even have to make your bed!


Royal Caribbean is launching a new cruise ship at the end of this year called the Oasis of the Seas. Of course, this ship has to be bigger than the last, so it can hold 5400 guests. That's a lot of people!


According to Leaisuregrouptravel.com, the Oasis of the Seas will introduce the first cupcake shop at sea! The Cupcake Cupboard will offer a variety of baked delicacies, including cupcakes. Cupcake decorating classes will also be offered. The cupcakes will be available for purchase at a la carte pricing.

Since most of the food on a cruise is unlimited and free, I usually spend a lot of time at the on-board gym to balance out the effect. Now, with cupcakes available, I don't know what I'm going to do! Can't wait to hear more details about this.

September = School = Apples

September is apple month at SusieCakes! I can't even explain how excited I am for this. I love apples! I eat one every day for lunch. So of course I am thrilled to see Apple Spice Cupcakes at SusieCakes for the month of September! They are also offering other apple desserts such as double-crust apple pie and sour cream apple cheesecake. Yummy!

September also means back to school. To make the transition from doing nothing to studying for tests, SusieCakes is offering a free apple spice cupcake to every K-8 student who brings in an "A" assignment. The student can also sign up to win cupcakes for their entire class.

Remember that an apple a day keep the doctor away. Who knew that a cupcake could be healthy for you?!